Color-printing compensator



I 1,643,324 Sept, y E" A. ER

COLOR PRINTING GOMPENSATOR Filed Nov. 22. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1,643,324 Sept- 1927' E. A. WALLER (BOLOR PRINTING COMPENSATOR Amen/m 23 famflaflwaa? Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

UITED STATES EDWARD A. WA'LLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COLOR-PRINTING COMPENSATOR.

Application filed November 22, 1924. Serial No. 751,594.

This invention relates to printing presses of ,the kind known as web presses, and especially to ll\tllll(:(JlI printing by multiple web presses, in which the several webs aresplit apart from a common roll as they feed into the press. The main objects of the invention are to provide means of improved 101111 and better adapted to assure proper registry of the successive colors as the paper passes through the press; to provide improved means for manually adjusting and controlling the webs and more especially the compensator rolls; to provide for eliminating substantial space between the edges of the adjacent webs; to provide for ready gaging and visual observation of the precise setting of each compensatorroll; to provide an improved form of mounting for the rolls; to provide in a multiple web press a common compensator roll for each mutually cor responding group of printing cylinders, and supplementary thereto a group of individual compensators, one for each printing cy1inder; to provide for coaxial mounting and concentric adjustment of the supports for the short rolls; and to provide for preventing and eliminating wrinkles in the paper as it passes through the press.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown by the accompanying drawings, in which-' Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of that part of a four color printing press to which this invention relates and shows conventionally the course of the web through the rolls.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the gage and control means for the compensator rolls.

Figure 3 is a similar view of a modified form of gage and control means, differing somewhat from the device of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is mainly a vertical axial section through the alined cylindrical mountings tor the short compensator rolls, on the line 4-4 45 of Figure 3, with the compensator rolls all in side elevation.

Figure 5 is a similar view of the device shown by Figure 2, the section being on the line 5---5 of said figure.

50 Figure 6 is a still further enlarged view of one of the short compensator rolls shown in Figure as it appears in axial section.

In the construction shown in the drawings, referring first to Figure 1. the multiple web printing press which as a whole is not shown. includes a plurality of printing cylinders 1 arranged in series to print on a strip of paper or web 2, platens 3 one for each cylinder, web carrying rolls 4, one on each side of each cylinder, at single full length multiple web compensating roll 5 disposed in front of each printing cylinder for establishing the main adjustment, and a plurality of short compensating rolls 6 arranged in axially alined groups between each main roll 5 and the COILCSPOIIdlIlg set of alined printing cylinders, one in each group for each web of paper being fed through the press. Provision is made for mounting a supply roll 7, in due relation to the press for splitting and feeding parallel web sections over carrying rolls 8 disposed between the supply roll 7 and the first corresponding main compensators 5.

Referring now to the specific embodiment of Figures 2 and 5, each main compensating roll 5 is provided with adjusting means 9 and an index gage 10, as shown on the left side of Figure 2, and separate adjusting and gage means are provided for each short roll, as shown on the right hand side of Said Figure 2.

The common compensator 5 is mounted to tatably on an axial shaft 11, which in turn carried on a pair of arms 12 disposed at the ends. The side arms 12 are fixed coturnably on a rocker shaft 13. the ends of which are journaled at 1-1 on the frame of the machine, said shaft 13 projects beyond the frame on the control side. as shown at 15 in Figure On the outer tip of this shaft is fixed a bevel gear 16 arranged to coact with a similar gear 17 fixed on the upper end of a control shaft 18, the lower end of which is provided with a hand wheel 19.

Clockwise turning of hand wheel 19 results in clockwise raving-mg of the arm 12 and roller 5. as viewed from the left side of Figure and vice versa. The resultant adjustment and efi'eet on the web 9 as accommodated by this movement is itlll'lillvllll from Figure 1. In order that the operator may readily determine the position of roller without direct inspection thereof, a gage dial It) is mounted on the frame supported bracket 20 in due relation to index finger 21 fixed on shaft 15 adjacent the gear 16.

In order to prevent endwi e swinging and vii 'ation of shaft 11 and roll 5 friction bearings 22 are provided on the press lrame opposite arms 12 to bear thereon. Each member has a hand operated setting lever 22. Each arm 12 has an arcuate bearing segment 12 to accommodate variable setting contact With the damper 22.

Referring now to the short compensator rolls 6 (Figures 2 and 5), each of these I rollers is carried rotatably by a pair of arms 23 which' in turn are fixed on a shaft 24 or 25, one shaft being provided for each roller. The shafts 24 support the outer rolls and the shafts 25 support the inner rolls, said shafts 24 and 25 all being arranged end to end in coaxial alinement and each being rotatable, independent of the- ";otl1ers.

In order to minimize friction, roller bearings gear is a similar gear 28 fixed on the upper end of a vertical shaft 29, the lower end of which isprovided with a manual control handle 30. Clockwise turning of the handle receives the parts of the axially sectional.

30 results in counter-clockwise swinging of arms 23 and the roller 6 carried thereby, as

viewed from the left of Figure 5 and vice I versa. Hence it should be noted that the handles 19 and 30 when turned clockwise cooperate to slacken the web 2 and vice versa, and that thus turning either of said handles alone also tends to slacken the web.

The two inner rolls 6 ,arefoperated by a slightly different mechanism; In this instance the corresponding shafts 25 have fixed medially thereof a pinion 31 coacting with which is a similar pinion 32 each mounted on one of a pair of axially alined shafts 33.

On the outer end of each shaft 33 is a bevel gear 34 with which coacts' a similar bevel gear 35 fixed on the upper end of a shaft 36 on the lower end of which is fixed a hand .wheel 30. The swinging of the two inner rolls 6 corresponds with the appropriate hand wheels 30 in like manner as the two outer rolls.

In order to avoid spacing the rolls and corresponding webs apart and to accommodate the arms 23 accordingly, each of the rolls 6 is made in two or more axial parts, one of which is relatively short as shown at 6, the outer roll-s each having one such part and eachinuer roll two such parts one at each end. Moreover in order to permit removing the inner part of a roller face, as sometimes is. desirable to remove web wrinkles, these rolls may be made in sections as shown in Figure 6. The tubular shaft 6" roller. The middle roller part- 6 is here made in two sections 6 each secured to the shaft 6 by a screw 6. On each side of the. part 6* isa roller part 6 Next to sections neaaaae the parts 6 .tions shown in Figures 3 and 4, the main compensator roll 5 is'formed and mounted as in' Figures 2 and 5, but the frictioir damper 40 is provided with a compression spring 41 to assure suiiicient pressure instead, of relying on an adjustable hand control means for setting. Here also the rocker bar 13 on which the arms 12 are set is controlled,

by. a crank arm 42 fixed to the left end as viewed in Figure 4. The outer end of arm '42 is secured loosely to a thrust control rod;

43 having adjustable screw. connection to the.

press frame at 44. The'upperend of rod44. receives the perforated tip of arm 42 which is secured adjustablyand loosely between the two nuts 45.

Clockwise turning of'said rod 43 by its hand wheel swings roller 5 to the left, as viewed in Figure 3, whereby web tension is increasedand vice versa. j

A gage 10 and index finger 21 are provided for shaft 13 substantially as in Fig ures 2 and 5 Referring to the shortcompensatorrolls 6, they are each constructed,.. arranged and supported as in Figure 4 on arms 46, These arms fixed directly on said shaft 47, which at the left end is provided with a crank arm 50 for control substantially as for shaft 13. Said arm is connected to a rod 51 which at its lower end below its screw mounting at 52 is provided with a hand wheel, not shown. Clockwise turning of rod '51 swings the cor responding roller 6 to the right and so in creases the web tension.

The nextroller 6 has itsarms 23 fixed to a relatively short cylindrical rocker shaft 54 fitting snugly but rotatably upon shaft 47.

The leften'd ofshaft 54 terminates just short of the lever connection on shaft 47, and is provided with'a control arm 55 similar to arm 50. Said arm 55 is connected to another thrust rod 51 similar to that for-shaft 47 The lower end of rod 44is, provided witha hand wheel, not shown, sub-. stantially the same as on rod 18 of Figure 2.

In like manner the third roller 6 is carried by a still shorter overlying concentric rocker cylinder 56, which is also controlled by a crank arm and thrust rod such as above described, The fourth and left roller is carried by a still larger concentric rocker cylinder 57 having similar crank arm and thrust rod control means, as will be understood. Each of the cylinders is provided with gage and index means substantially as for rod 47.

The feature about this invention which I especially emphasize is that the full width common sheet is divided as it enters the press into four parallel webs and that as these webs advance through the press they do not diverge, but the edges are st ill operating close together over the long and then the short rollers, from one color to a succession of other colors. -With one operation it assures perfect register and that means an enormous saving" of waste. When the webs are once in register the clutches 22 or 40 against the compensator are locked and the dial indicators are on their true marks until the end of the run.

This process is a distinct practical improvement over the old method of great variation and uncertainty on multicolor work. I have improved this process of color printing with the elimination both of folder waste and practically all wrinkles. This improvement is due largely tr the compen sator condensed in four closely set end to end parts 6 swung on a common axis all arranged and adjusted additionally to the old style single long compensator which alone has proven unsuccessful on a wide sheet of coloroto-gravure.

.As the full width sheet runs over the long compensators 5, which alone failed to register color perfectly, a set of slitters (not shown) quickly put into operation dividing the sheet into four web strips. This is midway between the roll of paper and the first impression cylinder. With the proper feed of the drums. proper tension of the roll. impressionsaud other devices about the press the sheet now operating in fourparts will adjust itself naturally. eliminating wrinkles to ast'ar greater extent than it has been in the past. A, wide color sheet thus divided and run is much easier to control as each part can be given exact register. With the four color compensator each division of the wide sheet is given the same attention throughout the entire color process and can be operated with one or more colors no matfor how wide the main sheet may be. These devices can be applied and adjusted on all web presses, as for comics or rotogravure presses doing magazine work and the like.

A set of four color compensators 6 is adj usted between each color cylinder 1 and preceding long compensators 5, one set before the yellow, red, blue and black cylinders respectively. When starting on a new run the slitters are up and the sheet runs full over the shift cylinders and long compensators, the usual old way until the color fits the closest. The next step is to lock the clutches 22 or against the arms 12 on the sides of the roller 5 to allow no vibrations. All this occurs while the indicators have been mov in g back and forth by the movements of the compensators until the compensator 5 is set on its perfect degree and it must remain in its original mark until the run is oil'.

Another important feature about this system relates to economy. and is that a sheet can never be entirely broken in the press. ()nly part of it can be lost on account of bad paper, and when part of a sheet does break, the remedy is to raise the slittcrs and let the sheet run full, then taper it and paste the lead on either side of the other sheets, then move the press slowly until the broken sheet is in the folder. It only remains to lower the slitters and start off again.

I want to make this clear that my multiple webs are supplied from one main roll which is divided into four strips, running edge to edge throughout the press, into the folder. In reference to the main web which is divided in four strips from one large roll it continues on its course with the narrow webs edge to edge from one unit to a succession of other units and into the folder. It would not be practical to run these webs from separate sources, for the reason that it would he necessary to take up much more room, require di'll'erent spindles and different tension spring rollers. and would require frequent adjustment. For instance, if we should use a pin ality of wholly separate webs supplied from a plurality of main rolls, one roll would unwind or fasten quicker than another one, and we would have to stop the press. \Vith this new way. all the four webs are supplied from one main roll, and hence when the one roll unwinds it is only necessary to make one stop to start a new one.

Although only two specific embodiments of this invention are herein shown and described. it is to be understood that no attempt has been made to show all practical forms of embodiment and that some of the details of the constructions shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a multiple web printing press, a set of compensatingrolls, one for each web, disposed substantially end to end whereby the webs may be run approximately edge to edge. said press including a plurality of axially alined rocker shafts for said rolls respectively and each roll being in combination with a pair of coaxially supported arms spaced apart less than the length of the corresponding roll and the roll being of axially sectional structure to accommodate such restricted spacing of the arms therefor.

2. In a multiple web press, a plurality of axially alined rocker shafts. compensator eg aacaaaa rolls secured revoluhly to said shafts respectively, a rotary hand rod for adjusting the angular position of each of said shafts re spectively, and intermediate means connecting each, shaft and corresponding rod respectively, the said intermediatemeans' for the outermost shafts each including a bevel gear, and the corresponding means cforkthe {intermediate shafts each including a pair of coacting pinion gears and a secondary shaft operatively connected to the corresponding rocker shaft by said pinion gears.

I 3. A compensator roll comprisin a central core and a three part cylindrical face part disposed in coaxial alinement on said core, the middle face part. being removable.

4. in a multiple Web printing press, a main compensator roll over which all of the Webs pass, and a plurality ofshort compensa'tor rolls, one for each Web, -said main roll being mounted to oscillate revolubly about a fixed axis and havingarms Whereon it swings, in combination with damping means bearing against said arms in a direction parallel with'the axis of said roll.

Signed at Chicago this 19th day of Novemher 1924i.

, EDWARD A. WALLER. 

